AGARTALA, Jan 3 � The BSF has heightened vigilance, while other security forces in Tripura are keeping a close watch on India�s border with Bangladesh in view of the political turmoil ahead of the Parliamentary polls in that country on January 5, an official said.
�The government has asked the BSF (Border Security Force) to keep maximum alert along the border. We have asked the Superintendents of Police of bordering districts to take necessary measures to deal with the situation�, Tripura Director General of Police C Balasubramanian told reporters.
�Mobile Task Force (MTF) officials and troopers were also engaged in round-the-clock patrol along the bordering areas to prevent any untoward elements from coming across the border,� he said.
He said that top officials of Tripura Police, BSF and intelligence officers were reviewing the situation from time to time.
BSF Director General Subhash Joshi earlier last month inspected the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura and other northeastern states to review the security along the border with turmoil-stricken Bangladesh.
�The BSF DG has directed all senior officials to closely monitor and review security along India�s border with Bangladesh�, a senior official told reporters.
The BSF chief accompanied by the Inspector General (Operations) Rajib Krishna and Additional DG (East) BD Sharma also held a series of meetings following the border inspection. �We have asked our soldiers to keep an intense watch on the border situation. Our men, with available gadgets, remain vigilant round-the-clock along the borders, specially where a substantial number of people reside across the border�, BSF chief public relations officer Bhaskar Rawat said.
India�s five States (West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram) share a 4,096-km long border with Bangladesh, including 856 km in Tripura. A large portion of the international border remains unfenced and porous.
There are a large number of thickly populated Bangladeshi villages and towns on the other side of the international border, making the task a delicate one for Indian border guards and other security forces.
The Bangladesh Election Commission has set January 5 for the 10th parliamentary elections, a plan rejected by the major opposition parties. � IANS
